Heretofore, the prior art has proposed various surgical masks and hoods to protect either the surgeon or the patient from various medical environments.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,140 teaches a surgical mask to prevent contact between the surgeon and the secreted body fluids of the patient.
Other representative prior art can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,990,199; 3,885,558; 5,007,114; 5,025,506; and 4,589,408.
It is to be appreciated that each and every one of the prior art references is intended to perform a specific function, such as preventing bacterial contact.
As is known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, electro-cauterization involves the use of a cautery, which creates the potential for significant burns to the skin of a patient surrounding the area to be cauterized. During the surgical procedure it is quite possible to touch the dermal layers with the cautery, thereby, inflicting a serious burn.
What is needed is a drop sheet which functions as a shield to prevent such burns.